Edison to retain polarizing football coach

STOCKTON - Edison High varsity football coach Andre Horace will return this fall for a fifth season, despite the efforts of a group trying to have him ousted, according to school officials.

Comment

By Stephen Roberson

recordnet.com

By Stephen Roberson

Posted Feb. 1, 2013 at 12:01 AM

By Stephen Roberson

Posted Feb. 1, 2013 at 12:01 AM

» Social News

STOCKTON - Edison High varsity football coach Andre Horace will return this fall for a fifth season, despite the efforts of a group trying to have him ousted, according to school officials.

The South Stockton Concerned Parents Group recently sent Edison High principal Brian Biedermann and athletic director Richard Lynch a "Parents Complain Letter" accusing Horace of destroying the program and seeking to have him and his staff fired.

The letter lists several issues. Among them, the group claims Horace has a subpar relationship with his players, is undisciplined and is involved in coaching solely for selfish reasons. Lynch said much of the letter contained opinions about the coach and the program rather than facts.

"What we've done is we've polled the community, we've polled the parents, we've polled the administration and we've polled the football coach," Lynch said, "and we're all working together to make sure ... our kids have a wonderful experience."

Julian Garcia, the starting quarterback and a team captain as a sophomore last season, spoke out against Horace recently at a Stockton Unified School District meeting.

"They don't know how to coach that good," Garcia said. "That's why they need to be fired. That's why I went (to the school board meeting). They don't really care if they win or they lose. That's the main problem."

Garcia said the primary problem is the program's structure and Horace's commitment.

"He could be there more often," he said. "He could push us harder, care more about winning. The way they run the program, it's disorganized. It's sloppy."

Not everyone shares Garcia's opinions, however.

"He's been a good coach for me," junior running back Calvin Gray said. "It was a good experience being my first year playing varsity."

Gray admitted Horace isn't the first person he goes to for advice, but that's more a matter of his position.

"Honestly, the guy I go to is his little brother Billy Horace, because he coaches the running backs. But I definitely feel comfortable with (Andre). The best thing about (Andre) is he really connects with the kids."

The Vikings have struggled on the field for decades. Since playing in the 2003 Sac-Joaquin Section Division I championship, Edison is 30-59 (.296) with no playoff appearances. The program's record wasn't much better prior to Horace, an Edison graduate, taking over for Elliot Burke in 2008. In four seasons, Horace is 13-27 (.325). The 2003 season marked the Vikings' lone playoff appearance since 1983. The 2003 team included Lavelle Hawkins, The Record's Player of the Year who now plays wide receiver for the NFL's Tennessee Titans. From 2004 to 2008 - the five years prior to Horace taking over as head coach - Edison was 17-32 (.346).

Simon Gomez was a varsity assistant last year after helping the sophomore team for two years. He's also an Edison graduate. He was fired midway through last season and is part of the group trying to get Horace removed.

"He had his opportunity. I think Edison deserves a little better," he said. "Edison's not hearing us. The parents have met with them. The players have met with them, and they're not hearing us."

Lynch said he has listened to the concerns.

"There's a definite lack of communication, and we're trying to bridge that gap by communicating a lot more," he said. "But we're looking for solutions; we're not looking for finger pointing."

Horace agrees with his detractors in one respect: that losing players within the program has to be addressed.

"One of the issues we've had is players who haven't played four years at Edison High," Horace said. "I have to do whatever's possible to get these kids to stay four years, which is an incredibly difficult thing to do."

Horace, according to Lynch, has been "very receptive" to increased communication. While the coach accepts the challenges of improving the program, he is not bothered by the personal attacks made in the group's letter.

"I didn't take any of it to heart because I know it's not true," he said. "It would be very difficult to find people to agree with that. The majority of people I looked in the eye, when they read that (letter) they shook their heads because they know it's not true."